The driver and a passenger in the Forester, both in their 80s, and the driver of the Mondeo, a man in his 30s, died.

The crash happened on the M40 in Oxfordshire (Picture: PA)

Videos filmed before the crash and posted on social media show motorists travelling in the outside lane of the motorway being forced to swerve to avoid a collision with the Subaru.

Senior investigating officer Sergeant Beth Walton, from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit of Thames Valley Police, said: “We are in the early stages of the investigation, in which sadly three people died, and our thoughts are with their families.

“We are in the process of contacting witnesses who provided a report to us and are grateful for their support.